Sep 22 2008
Thoughts on Week 3 in the NFL
Week 3 delivered the first major shock of the 2008 season as the Miami Dolphins went up to Foxborough and systematically beat down the New England Patriots. Who saw that coming? Ronnie “Hummer” Brown accounted for all five Dolphin touchdowns (4 rush and 1 pass) as well as 113 yards on the ground in their 38-13 rout. Maybe all of the Matt Cassel hype after last week’s win was a little premature? His days as the starting quarterback of the Pats are definitely numbered. Chad Pennington also had a great day going 17-for-20 for 226 yards. Not bad for someone who the Jets didn’t think was good enough to make them competitive. Oh by the way, the Dolphins rushed for as many yards as the Patriots had total. However, the star of the division is the Buffalo Bills, who remained undefeated as a result of their come-from-behind 24-23 win over the Oakland Raiders. The Bills have just refused to lose thus far and now have to be the favorites to win the division. Buffalo also has done well closing out games as they have outscored their opponents 27-10 in the fourth quarter this season. On a different note, who exactly thought the Jets were a legit playoff contender? I just don’t see it with a washed-up Brett Favre. They looked horrible tonight against the Chargers. It’s time for the Jets to J.E.T.S. (i.e. Just end the Season).
The AFC North definitely took it on the chin this week as the Steelers were manhandled by the Eagles, the Bengals lost a winnable game against the Giants in overtime, and the Ravens absolutely took the Browns apart. Who would have thought that Baltimore would be in first place after Week 3? It’s going to be interesting to see how Joe Flacco plays against Pittsburgh, Tennessee, and Indianapolis the next three weeks. The best case scenario for the Ravens after that stretch is being 3-2 overall. The Bengals and Browns are clearly nothing special, but at least Cincy seems to be more competitive. Cleveland must be kicking themselves about that whole giving Derek “One year wonder” Anderson a huge contract extension despite having spent a first round pick on Brady Quinn. Definitely a bad move. The Steelers have a lot of problems with their offensive line, but if they can figure out how to protect Ben Roethlisberger, they should be able to bounce back.
The kings of the AFC South right now are the Kerry Collins-led Tennessee Titans. The Titans defense has been downright dominating through three games and their offense has been good enough to get the job done. As long as the defense keeps destroying its opponents and Kerry Collins avoids making mistakes, this team has a serious shot to win the wide open AFC. The Jacksonville Jaguars logged their first win of the season at Indianapolis on the foot of Josh Scobee. David Garrard drove the Jags down the field in the final 1:07 to set up the game-winning field goal after the Colts took the lead on a Joseph Addai touchdown run. With Bob Sanders out, the Colts defense is definitely going to suffer. At least they have a bye this week followed by Houston and Baltimore. Speaking of the Texans, they have been terrible and have just gotten blown out each week. So much ESPN the Magazine picking them for the playoffs. Whoops!
In the AFC West, the Broncos have jumped out to a huge lead in the division after winning yet another shootout. Since when did Champ Bailey and Dre’ Bly start sucking at covering opposing receivers? Just think how good this team can be if Bailey and Bly start locking down. As previously mentioned, the Raiders lost a heartbreaker to the Bills, but showed some potential, which leaves room for some hope down the road. The Kansas City Chiefs were annihilated by a below-average Falcons team. They might as well pack it in at this point. How is Herm Edwards keeping his job as head coach when the team has shown absolutely no potential to be competitive? The Chargers finally played like the team that everybody predicted they would be. However, it was against the Jets, who aren’t exactly the 2007 Patriots. All in all, it was nice to see them get a win. If the Chargers can get on a roll, the Broncos need to watch out.
The NFC East is blatantly the best division in the NFL. It is a shame that one of the four teams will miss the playoffs, especially since they all could win 10+ games. Dallas is the best team in the NFL and crushed the Packers despite an off night by Tony Romo. That should be absolutely terrifying to the rest of the league. The Eagles defense completely smothered the Steelers and overcame injuries to Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook to win 15-6. Where was that type of defense last week in Dallas? Either way, if they can put together that type of performance on D each week, this team can be scary good. The G-Men escaped with an OT win over Cincy, which was kind of disappointing since the Bengals have been so bad. Finally, the Redskins took care of business against the Cardinals and also appear to have their offense clicking under Jim Zorn. If you put any of these teams in another division, they would unquestionably win it.
Pretty down week for the NFC North as the Tarvaris Jackson-less Vikings were the only team to register a win. I told you that he was holding this team back. Even Gus Frerotte could lead this team to victory with an injured Adrian Peterson, and he beat a very respectable Carolina Panthers team. They should have made that move before Week 1 and they might be 3-0 or at least 2-1. The Packers were roughed up at home by the ‘Boys, but should still be considered the favorites in this division. The Bears lost another game by a field goal, this time in OT after their D surrendered 10 points in the final 3:07 of the fourth quarter. I still don’t see this team doing much with Kyle Orton under center. They definitely need to draft a young stud. Also, the Lions were the Lions and took their weekly blowout with dignity.
The NFC South is wide open with Tampa, Carolina, and Atlanta all at 2-1. The Saints are bringing up the rear at 1-2. Anyone of these teams could win the division, except maybe the Falcons who have their two wins against Kansas City and Detroit. That’s not exactly the cream of the crop in the NFL. Whoever has the best record after the Bucs, Panthers, and Saints complete their three-team round robin will most likely wear the division crown. Sorry Matt Ryan, I see the Falcons going winless in division play. Maybe in 2010.
The NFC West is a total joke. The Cardinals and 49ers are both 2-1, but neither team is capable of beating an above-average team. However, one of those teams, most likely Arizona, has to win the division just so they can get slaughtered in the Wild Card round. Unless one of these teams wins 10 games, they should not be allowed in the playoffs. The Seahawks picked up their first win over St. Louis, who remained winless. The Rams are ridiculously bad. They have been outscored 116-29 in their three games, which is the equivalent of losing 39-10 three weeks in a row. Those gaudy numbers are impressively bad. I’m just really glad the Eagles have the NFC West on their schedule this year.
